Violation of Kuki-Zo women: President Murmu urged to immediately visit Manipur

Counterview Desk
In an open appeal endorsed by over 3,100 concerned citizens, the top civil rights network, National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM), has asked President Draupadi Murmu to immediately intervene for ensuring restoration of peace and justice in strife-torn Manipur and “support to violated Kuki-Zo women.”
The appeal, which had sought signature from other civil rights organisations and individuals, said, “It is absolutely unacceptable and unjustifiable that women’s bodies are used as sites of brutal violence by the State and supremacist, patriarchal forces.”

Text:

We the undersigned organizations and activists associated with the National Alliance of People’s Movements, numerous other progressive organizations and citizens from across India, write to you with a fervent and urgent appeal, in the light of the humanitarian crisis in Manipur.
For almost three months, the North-Eastern state of Manipur has been in a state of unprecedented turmoil and violence, owing to ethnic clashes and miserable failure of the Central and State Governments, in restoring normalcy. What began as popular resistance to the questionable proposal to include non-STs (Meiteis) in the Scheduled Tribes list, soon snowballed into a state-wide crisis of unimaginable proportions, with the Meitei and Kuki communities at the centre of the conflict. The trail of violence has left at least 150 people dead, entire villages razed down and tens of thousands of people displaced, amidst untold suffering for both the communities.
However, what seems to have finally ‘shook the nation’ and compelled the powers-that-be, especially the Prime Minister to ‘speak up’, is the recent viral video of three Kuki-Zo tribal women being paraded naked and sexually assaulted in full public glare, way back on 4th May in Kangpokpi district. In the same instance, the two male members of the family were killed by the mob. While an FIR was filed 2 months back, the first and (only) arrest happened on 20th July, after national outrage, despite the fact that a large mob of identifiable men can be seen in the video.
As per the Chief Minister, Mr. Biren Singh’s own chilling statement, this is just one instance which has come to light, out of more than hundred other such cases! Clearly, this is the ‘tip of the scary iceberg’ and a comprehensive inquiry is needed to ensure due legal process and accountability of violators and authorities in all such instances. Instead of clamping down on internet services, the Govt. must clamp down on the perpetrators of crimes.
Madam, it is absolutely unacceptable and unjustifiable that women’s bodies are used as sites of brutal violence by the State and supremacist, patriarchal forces. While the majoritarian mobs and police are directly culpable, the inaction and complicity of those higher-up in the echelons of power needs questioning too. Even institutions like the National Commission for Women (NCW), which have been in receipt of complaints of sexual violence and rape since more than a month refused to act for so long! The intervention of the Hon’ble Supreme Court has also sadly been a case of too little, too late.
It is extremely unfortunate and unforgivable that the most brazen and divisive politics is being played by the Government of the day and majoritarian, rightist forces, over the lives of vulnerable sections within Manipur, while allowing hate crimes to go on unhindered and unpunished. Infact, given their colossal failure, the Union Home Minister and the Chief Minister of Manipur must be asked to immediately step down, owning moral and legal responsibility.

Madam, we appeal to you; as a woman, as a representative of the adivasi community, custodian of tribal rights and a holder of the highest office under the Indian Constitution to immediately intervene in the light of these grave and deeply disturbing circumstances:

We urge you to immediately visit Manipur and interact with the affected people, especially the women who have suffered grave injustice and give them necessary assurance. The women of Manipur, especially from the Kuki-Zo tribal communities, need a calming, balming support which only someone of your stature can provide.

We also appeal to your good conscience to:

Call for a comprehensive and time-bound judicial inquiry into all acts of violence, so that all the accused who have perpetrated heinous crimes are arrested, including under SC & ST (PoA) Act, speedy trial and conviction, with life is ensured. Likewise, such an inquiry must fix the accountability of all law enforcement and political authorities, at all levels.
Ensure independent fact-finding, peace and justice missions of civil society are allowed to visit Manipur, especially the women, and the Government refrains from intimidatory tactics of stopping or filing FIRs against those visiting the state.
Uphold tribal rights and guarantee to the people that there shall be no unjust and arbitrary change in the list of the Scheduled Tribes, in violation of the letter and spirit of the Constitution.
We hope you will do all that is possible, as head of the State to ensure peace and normalcy is restored back, both in the hills and valley of Manipur, adequate safety is ensured to those in vulnerable situations, especially the Kuki-Zo community and all the violators, at all levels, are brought to book.
Amidst all this mayhem, the Union Govt. is also trying to make far-reaching amendments to forest laws of the country, which will result in massive diversion of forest land across India, including in the North-East, loot of forest resources by private-corporate entities and displacement of adivasis and forest-dwelling communities. We urge you to not assent to these amendments, if and when they come to you from the Parliament, and insist on compliance with provisions of the Constitution, Forest Rights Act, 2006 and other enabling laws.

---
Click here see endorsements

Comments

1857 War of Independence... when Hindu-Muslim separatism, hatred wasn't an issue

"The Sepoy Revolt at Meerut", Illustrated London News, 1857 By Shamsul Islam* Large sections of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs unitedly challenged the greatest imperialist power, Britain, during India’s First War of Independence which began on May 10, 1857; the day being Sunday. This extraordinary unity, naturally, unnerved the firangees and made them realize that if their rule was to continue in India, it could happen only when Hindus and Muslims, the largest two religious communities were divided on communal lines.

The curious case of multiple entries of a female voter of Maharashtra: What ECI's online voter records reveal

By Venkatesh Nayak* Cyberspace is agog with data, names and documents which question the reliability of the electoral rolls prepared by the electoral bureaucracy in Maharashtra prior to the General Elections conducted in 2024. One such example of deep dive probing has brought to the surface, the name of one female voter in the 132-Nalasopara (Gen) Vidhan Sabha Constituency in Maharashtra. Nalasopara is part of the Palghar (ST) Lok Sabha constituency. This media report claims that this individual's name figures multiple times in the voter list of the same constituency.

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

N-power plant at Mithi Virdi: CRZ nod is arbitrary, without jurisdiction

By Krishnakant* A case-appeal has been filed against the order of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and others granting CRZ clearance for establishment of intake and outfall facility for proposed 6000 MWe Nuclear Power Plant at Mithi Virdi, District Bhavnagar, Gujarat by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) vide order in F 11-23 /2014-IA- III dated March 3, 2015. The case-appeal in the National Green Tribunal at Western Bench at Pune is filed by Shaktisinh Gohil, Sarpanch of Jasapara; Hajabhai Dihora of Mithi Virdi; Jagrutiben Gohil of Jasapara; Krishnakant and Rohit Prajapati activist of the Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a notice to the MoEF&CC, Gujarat Pollution Control Board, Gujarat Coastal Zone Management Authority, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and case is kept for hearing on August 20, 2015. Appeal No. 23 of 2015 (WZ) is filed, a...

Spirit of leadership vs bondage: Of empowered chairman of 100-acre social forestry coop

By Gagan Sethi* This is about Khoda Sava, a young Dalit belonging to the Vankar sub-caste, who worked as a bonded labourer in a village near Vadgam in Banskantha district of North Gujarat. The year was 1982. Khoda had taken a loan of Rs 7,000 from the village sarpanch, a powerful landlord doing money-lending as his side business. Khoda, who had taken the loan for marriage, was landless. Normally, villagers would mortgage their land if they took loan from the sarpanch. But Khoda had no land. He had no option but to enter into a bondage agreement with the sarpanch in order to repay the loan. Working in bondage on the sarpanch’s field meant that he would be paid Rs 1,200 per annum, from which his loan amount with interest would be deducted. He was also obliged not to leave the sarpanch’s field and work as daily wager somewhere else. At the same time, Khoda was offered meal once a day, and his wife job as agricultural worker on a “priority basis”. That year, I was working as secretary...

Proposed Modi yatra from Jharkhand an 'insult' of Adivasi hero Birsa Munda: JMM

Counterview Desk The civil rights network, Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha (JMM), which claims to have 30 grassroots groups under its wings, has decided to launch Save Democracy campaign to oppose Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Vikasit Bharat Sankalp Yatra to be launched on November 15 from the village of legendary 19th century tribal independence leader Birsa Munda from Ulihatu (Khunti district).

Ground reality: Israel would a remain Jewish state, attempt to overthrow it will be futile

By NS Venkataraman* Now that truce has been arrived at between Israel and Hamas for a period of four days and with release of a few hostages from both sides, there is hope that truce would be further extended and the intensity of war would become significantly less. This likely “truce period” gives an opportunity for the sworn supporters and bitter opponents of Hamas as well as Israel and the observers around the world to introspect on the happenings and whether this war could have been avoided. There is prolonged debate for the last several decades as to whom the present region that has been provided to Jews after the World War II belong. View of some people is that Jews have been occupants earlier and therefore, the region should belong to Jews only. However, Christians and those belonging to Islam have also lived in this regions for long period. While Christians make no claim, the dispute is between Jews and those who claim themselves to be Palestinians. In any case...

Fate of Yamuna floodplain still hangs in "balance" despite National Green Tribunal rap on Sri Sri event

By Ashok Shrimali* While the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday reportedly pulled up the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for granting permission to hold spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's World Culture Festival on the banks of Yamuna, the chief petitioners against the high-profile event Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan has declared, the “fate of the floodplain still hangs in balance.”

Two more "aadhaar-linked" Jharkhand deaths: 17 die of starvation since Sept 2017

Kaleshwar's sons Santosh and Mantosh Counterview Desk A fact-finding team of the Right to Feed Campaign, pointing towards the death of two more persons due to starvation in Jharkhand, has said that this has happened because of the absence of aadhaar, leading to “persistent lack of food at home and unavailability of any means of earning.” It has disputed the state government claims that these deaths are due to reasons other than starvation, adding, the authorities have “done nothing” to reduce the alarming state of food insecurity in the state.

Counterview

Search This Blog